Art, textiles, printmaking, mixed media art, text.

Demo days are over, well, until next year.

It seems ages ago we agreed to do a three day demonstration during the Bramble Patch Open Studios event, which encompassed the whole of August. But, as life does, it galloped towards us at speed, and now it’s over, and we are back there next year too.

Hilary Beattie and I printed, painted and talked for 3 days, and were rather thrilled by the large amount of people who dropped by; many thanks to you all. Proceeds from the exhibition entry fee and the charge for tea, coffee and biscuits are all donated to Macmillan Cancer Care by the Bramble Patch, and I should think it will be a good amount. It was a good time, much enjoyed by both of us.

So, a few images, of our studio, which was in the cafe area, and the exhibition. We have no images of us in action, as we didn’t have time to take any, so these were taken just after we arrived in the early morning.

Our demo area, which looks considerably more orderly than it actually was.

The fact Below, all the screens I failed to get around to using, hopefully laid out, well, plonked on the floor.

Some of my day one products, calico and cotton after printing with thermofax screens and then painted with procion dyes.

The Beatster, surrounded by but a small amount of the work she produced. Below, some of my finished cloth.

I have enough to keep me going for quite a while, especially as I am making an effort to reduce the size of my work. Or I could just give in and make ever larger pieces.

An aerial veiw of the show, which Hilary and I shared with Jan Hassard, who isn’t afraid to make large wonderful colourful quilts, as you can see below.

Some of Hilary’s pieces, below, too.

And some of mine.

The exhibition is over now, and the rooms are back to normal, ready for the classes to start again. Check the website if you fancy a class there, it’s a great place, with a lovely atmosphere and a brilliant shop. Hilary is teaching several courses, some of which include painting, dyeing and printing fabric and papers, which are ideal to build up some personal materials.

I’m teaching two more there this year, both in November; click on the link to the Bramble Patch for extra information. Into the Rainforest, is a course using elements of rainforest imagery, and painted and printed materials produced during the course. It’s good for beginners and the more experienced student, and will be ideal for those unsure of how to move from original idea through the stages of designing and constructing a piece of work. This one is on November 1st and 2nd, and promises to be colourful.

My second course is Thrift and Alchemy, in which we will be using and re -purposing fabrics and other materials to make work from personal references. It’s good for all levels, and much enjoyment will be had using all those interesting bits and pieces we all collect. I count using all those fabrics and papers we already own as recycling too, and there will be painting, printing and collage involved, as well as stitch, and help for anyone who is unsure of how to progress with an idea. This course takes place on November 15th and 16th.